Like everyone else in the world, I'm starting my year off trying to eat purely and detox from screens. Although I've already failed my "no phones after 7pm" rule, I have read more in the last month than I did in the last 6, so that's something. So far, so good? And now on to my favorite breakfasts of the year so far / a Morning Meals round-up:

DETOX GREEN SMOOTHIE(gluten-free, vegan) SERVES 2

3 cups organic spinach

1 cup frozen organic mixed berries

1 cup frozen mango or peach

1 frozen banana

1 tablespoon spirulina

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoon chia seeds

2 cups almond milk

Small handful of fresh parsley or mint

Pomegranate seeds for topping

Add all ingredients to your blender. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until well blended and thick. Garnish your smoothie with pomegranate seeds and more fresh herbs. Eat with a spoon and enjoy!

Then, in a small saucepan, heat butter over medium until melted. Add pecans, then slowly add spice mixture making sure to nuts are coated evenly. Add maple syrup and up the heat to medium high. Stirring often for 3-4 minutes or until mixture begins to smell nutty and more syrupy.

Remove from heat and add in an even layer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let cool. (For immediate cooling, add to freezer for 5 minutes.)

Once pecans have cooled, top greek yogurt with them and a few tablespoons of pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, garlic, shallot, almond milk and dill. Zest approximately 1 teaspoon of zest and the juice of half a lemon. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Combine well.

Use olive oil to grease your mini muffin pan. Ladle in egg mixture up to the top. Season with flaky sea salt. Bake for 22-25 minutes. They will puff up slightly when done. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and serve on a bed of arugula drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. Enjoy!

I'm definitely one for a savory breakfast (eggs, avocado toast, etc), but as soon as it starts to get cooler, I crave a sweet one now and then. With apple season in full effect, I know a lot of us are trying to get rid of apples in as many recipes as possible. This breakfast cake goes great with any fruit, but seasonal apples are a winner. It's perfectly sweet and nutty with the most delicious oat topping. It's somewhere in between a light dessert and breakfast, but either way - I promise you'll enjoy it.

SPICED APPLE BREAKFAST CAKE WITH OAT STREUSEL (gluten-free) serves 6

3/4 cup almond flour or meal

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons tapioca flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

5 tablespoons butter, melted & cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons almond milk

2 large apples (honeycrisp or granny smith, or your preference), peeled and cut into small cubes

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

freshly ground nutmeg to taste

TOPPING:

1/2 cup gluten-free oats

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

1 taplespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle of sea salt

Raw sugar, to top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In separate mixing bowl, mix together butter, vanilla, eggs, almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and apples. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients to the wet, adding a little at a time until all is well-combined without lumps.

Pour cake batter into a greased 9x9 cake pan. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge. In the meantime, combine oats, walnuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, butter and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix together mixture well until cookie dough-like texture and well-combined.

Top chilled cake with crumb topping, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and raw sugar. then bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool for 20-25 minutes before serving.

I totally get why people aren't into baking. I'm sure for some it seems too detailed, time-intensive, maybe even technical. Especially when it comes to gluten-free, it gets dicey and sometimes expensive, with the addition of 2-3 flours for every dough. But for me, baking has always been how-do-I-say…healing? There is nothing in the world like the feeling of finishing a tart or pie, with all the steps, techniques, chilling, pulsing, rolling, etc. It can cure any bad mood. The fact that it takes time is what I love about it most. Baking makes you work for it, and I've always loved that kind of attitude.

This Summer has kept me so baking-busy that I've been just trying to see how much I can bang out on any given weekend. (Yes, Summer baking. Where the true bakers lie.) Sometimes though, the best days are when you spend the whole afternoon making one…single…dessert. Even if maybe baking isn't your thing, I suggest you use it as a tool -- if only to cure a little depression and/or eat something sweet. There's something about it that really fills you up when nothing else can.

Add the first six ingredients to a food processor. Pulse your dough until butter is about pea-sized and crumbly. Then add one tablespoon of water at a time until dough forms and begins to come away from the edge. Fraisage your dough (shown here, starts at 2:00), meaning use the heel of your hand to smear dough, a little at a time, across the counter. This helps to add long strands of butter into your dough for better texture.

Pat your dough together into a 6'' disk, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap. Roll out a few inches wider than your intended tart dish (I used an 8 inch).

Place your greased tart pan nearby, remove one side of plastic wrap and carefully (using two hands) flip dough over into your pie dish. Remove last sheet of syran wrap and carefully fit and press dough into your tart pan evenly.

Gluten-free dough can be dicey, but remain calm! If any piece rips of gets torn, carefully pinch it together again. Remove the excess tart dough (save for a mini tart) and parbake for 10 minutes.

Once tart crust is parbaked, reduce oven heat to 325 degrees. Pour in filling making sure to spread evenly before topping with figs, plum and red currant. Arrange in a pleasing fashion and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 1 hour, then cool for 25 minutes before serving.